There is no doubt about it: to follow Christ requires courage. He expects much of us, though he gives much more in return. He expects us to follow him in his example, to be servants of love. We are called to love everyone, especially those for whom we normally feel no love, and we are to do so even if it means we will suffer or die.
“But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again” (Luke 6:27 – 30).
These are no easy words to follow. I fail all too often. And when I do, I need to turn to them again and again and be convicted of my sin because of them. I know I need to do better, and through God’s grace and hard work, I can do better. But I also know I will be tempted by various people who present to me great challenges, because I find it difficult to love them — I would rather argue with them, fight them, and to silence them so that they cannot make me suffer by their presence. But even this is easier for me than for many, because I do not suffer persecution; I am not directly under the attack of any line of fire, and so there is no reason for me to fear that my acts of love will put me in any real danger.
Jesus said, however, that those who follow him will be persecuted for his name’s sake, and that their response should be that of love. It isn’t to find a way to take out the threat, to stop it, to protect oneself from harm, but rather, to be willing to give up one’s life for one’s love of God. Fear prevents many from doing this. Fear overrides Christian love, and has people acting out against Christ’s commands. Fear makes them think of themselves and their own personal safety instead of God — and in doing so, they end up willing to do anything to preserve their own life; nothing is out of bounds. They will save themselves by any means necessary.
Jesus warns us what will happen if we follow through with a desire for self-preservation instead of self-sacrifice: “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it” (Luke 9:24).
When we become the ones Christ meant for us to be, when we love so much that we are willing to put ourselves into danger for that love, we discover the true virtue of courage. It is a virtue when it has selfless love as its basis. Instead of needing a powerful state to preserve us from all our enemies, willing to kill our enemies before they kill us, we are willing to die for the sake of love — it is a courage which transformed the world, when Christians followed through with the love of Christ. Christianity took hold of Rome not through military might, but by Christian love. Christians showed true boldness when they would not fight back. If we want terrorism to stop, we must follow the lessons of the Apostolic Age and of Medieval Europe. The martyrs proved successful, while the Crusaders failed.
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